Do you want to get paid to draw? Here’s a list of the best places where you can make money drawing and selling your art.
If you have impressive drawing skills, chances are, you’d want to make money drawing one way or another.
Thankfully, there’s a good market for freelance artists right now. You could draw tattoos, greeting cards, marketing materials for brands, and more. You just need to find the right places to showcase your work, and you should be able to find some great drawing jobs online and make money selling your drawings.
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How to Start Your Career as a Freelance Drawing Artist
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Working as a freelance artist is a great way to make money online. As long as you have the talent, as well as the right tools and equipment, then you should make drawings online for money. But how do you get started in this kind of career?
First, create a portfolio. When applying for drawing jobs, you need to show what you can do for your clients. Your drawings will showcase your style and skills, so having a solid portfolio can strengthen the odds of landing drawing jobs.
You also need to establish your presence on social media. Come up with professional social media accounts where potential clients can connect with you. You could also use social media if you are planning to sell drawings online. Take this artist for example. She makes awesome illustrations and promote her work on social media.
Finally, take up courses to become a better artist. There are several online courses that you could take to further improve your talent, allowing you to sell your drawings online for money or get paid to draw at a higher rate.
One of the most popular courses is The Ultimate Drawing Course – Beginner to Advanced which teaches the foundations of drawing, as well as advanced techniques like highlighting and shadowing.
If you are interested in drawing humans in particular, whether it’s for video games, comics or cartoons, then you should take a look at Character Art School: Complete Character Drawing Course. This course teaches you how to draw humans professionally, using both the traditional pen and paper method and digital art tools.
28 Places Where You Can Get Paid To Draw Online
You can make money online through your drawings, whether by selling drawings or getting commissioned to draw art. Here are 30+ ways to get paid to draw online.
1. Deviant Art
Deviant Art is a community for artists and art enthusiasts. It has over 61 million active members, making it one of the best places to showcase your work online.
More than anything, you can create your own gallery on Deviant Art where you could entice potential customers to purchase your artwork. Most artists make money online by selling drawings as downloadable products. Additionally, you can also get paid to draw by potential customers through commissioned artwork.
2. Caspari
Caspari is a company that carries a paper product line, including but not limited to greeting cards, tabletop items, stationery, gift wraps, and home decors. The company hires artists who can create beautiful illustrations using tools like Adobe Illustrator or InDesign and has knowledge of typography and color.
If you’re interested in landing drawing jobs on Caspari, you just need to send them an email and work samples that showcase your drawing skills.
3. Crown Point Graphics
Crown Point Graphics is a greeting card company that produces licensed art prints for birthday cards, thank you cards, and other types of boxed greeting cards, stationery products, and jigsaw puzzles. If you want to get paid to draw with Crown Point Graphics, simply head over to their career page, and check out their available positions.
4. Avanti Press
If you’d want to get paid to draw greeting cards, then you should check out Avanti Press, one of the most established greeting card companies in the country.
You can get paid to draw cartoons for Avanti Press as this company appreciates humor and fun in the greeting cards that they produce. You may also submit your work to the site and make money if a customer likes it.
5. American Greetings
This greeting card company produces numerous types of greeting cards making it one of the best places to get paid for your drawings. American Greetings offers jobs in the creative department, including roles in graphic design, art director, and product designer.
So if you have strong drawing and illustration skills, you could get paid to design greeting cards for this company. To qualify, you need a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts or Graphic Design and have at least three years of experience in a related field. You could apply for an open role directly on their website.
6. Amber Lotus Publishing
Amber Lotus Publishing provides another opportunity to get paid to draw by helping their team create planners and calendars, coloring books and journals as well as greeting cards.
Artists find paid drawing opportunities with Amber Lotus Publishing by sending the company artwork samples. Make sure to read and follow the submission guidelines to increase the chances of your work being accepted.
7. Noble Works
If you enjoy creating drawings with a hilarious, amusing, and fun touch, then you could get paid to draw for Noble Works. This is a greeting card company that specializes in creating funny greeting cards, so it helps if you have a lot of funny bones in your body.
You could submit your work to Noble Works through their submission page. You should fill out the inquiry page to get in touch with the company and learn more about how you can get paid for your drawings and what type of materials that they are looking for.
8. P.S. Greetings Inc.
P.S. Greetings Inc. is a greeting card company that was founded 80 years ago. Today, P.S. Greetings Inc. has become one of the most reputable companies that create greeting cards and stationery products.
If you love to draw and would like to work for P.S. Greetings Inc., then you should browse the products sold on their platform to get a better idea of what kind of drawings that they are looking for. You could get in touch with the company by sending them a direct email.
9. Tiny Prints
Another way to make money online as an artist is to work for Tiny Prints, a greeting card company affiliated with Shutterfly. Tiny Prints produces adorable greeting cards, invitations, and stationery, so it’s a great place to show your work and make money from paid drawings.
It’s good to submit your portfolio when you get in touch with this company so that you can show them your drawings. If they like your drawing style, then you’re likely on your way to making money working for them.
10. Art Pal
Art Pal is a platform that allows you to sell your drawings and make money online.
You could create your own gallery on Art Pal to showcase your drawings and entice potential customers. You start selling as soon as you upload your artwork, and you can be paid through PayPal, eCheck, or credit card. Also, you get the option to sell your drawings on your own or let Art Pal handle the shipping for you.
11. Palm Press
You could submit your original artwork and make money through Palm Press, a company that produces photographic greeting cards for all occasions.
You can submit your work to Palm Press any time of the year, as long as they are distinct, free, and original. If you are interested to earn money this way, you should provide a link to your website and make sure to follow the submission guidelines set by Palm Press.
12. Art Plode
Another great place to sell your drawings online, without any commissions, is Art Plode. This platform serves as a private online gallery where people could buy and sell art, including drawings, paintings, photography, and sculpture.
Art Plode’s finest point is that it does not charge any commission, so artists who want to make money from their drawings get 100% of the sale. Just keep in mind, though, that there is a one-time fee of $60 for each listing, allowing you to display your artwork on the platform for as long as you like.
13. Leanin’ Tree
Leanin’ Tree creates American-made greeting and personalized cards for all seasons and occasions. The cards feature original artwork created by independent artists. So if you’re looking for an opportunity to get your artwork out there and potentially make money online from your drawings, Leanin’ Tree could be an excellent option.
Leanin’ Tree is open to accepting submissions from enthusiastic artists. If you’d like to explore a creative job with this company, be sure to check out their current job opportunities here.
14. Up With Paper
Founded in 1977, Up With Paper claims to be the original pop-up greeting card company. It is now known to produce and sell greeting cards of all types, as well as books and stationery.
There are plenty of creative jobs offered within the company, so it’s an excellent place to earn money from your drawing skills. Check out their careers page to find the full details of their open opportunities.
15. Bayview Press
Bayview Press is a company that publishes fine art products, including cards and art prints.
The company creates profiles of artists that they work with. This presents an amazing opportunity to expand your exposure online. You could submit your work to them for review, and you could make a name for yourself here if you get accepted.
16. Great Arrow
When it comes to selling your drawings, especially if they are contemporary and mirror pop culture, then you should check out Great Arrow. This company was established in 1984 and has become one of the best manufacturers of silk-screened greeting cards.
Great Arrow welcomes people who can produce excellent drawings and illustrations. This can be a wonderful opportunity to be included in the company’s roster of artists. If you are interested in showcasing your artwork on Great Arrow’s greeting cards, then make sure to submit your work following their guidelines.
17. Pomegranate
You could also showcase your art with Pomegranate, a brand that manufactures puzzles, stationery, and calendars.
Pomegranate accepts art submissions, including drawings and illustrations for its gift products. You must have the intellectual property right over the artwork. Pomegranate processes submissions within 60 days and you’d hear from them if your work is accepted. You can submit your work through their website. Compensations of artists are discussed privately with the company.
18. Minted
Minted is an online artwork marketplace for independent artists. Here, you could showcase your drawings by entering contests where you could win cash prizes, ranging from $200 to $4,000. Artists participate in the design challenge and the audience gets to vote on their favorite artwork, and Minted sells the product.
Artists may submit their artwork to any of Minted’s design challenges found here.
19. Fine Art America
You could also make money when you sell your art to Fine Art America, a print-on-demand service that works with independent artists. Fine Art America is home to thousands of artistic products, ranging from home decors, stationery, tech, apparel, and more. These products are designed by artists, illustrators, and photographers, giving them the marketing platform to expand their audience reach.
To sell your drawings to Fine Art America, simply fill up this form and submit your artwork.
20. CardGnome
CardGnome is a company that creates greeting cards that customers can send automatically. It is best known for its distinctly fun and humorous designs.
The great thing about CardGnome is that you can get paid to draw greeting cards for them. You create and sell cards, and then earn royalties for each card sold. Additionally, CardGnome handles the entire fulfillment process, so all you have to do is make sure to sell your drawings.
21. Saatchi Art
You could also make money from your drawings by selling them on Saatchi Art, a platform for buying and selling artwork.
This website specifically caters to trading artwork, from photography, drawings, and illustrations, and sculptures to art prints. Selling your drawings on Saatchi Art gives you immense exposure to the art community, as it sells to over 80 countries with 1.6 million monthly visits. This website also has over 1 million followers on different social media platforms.
Selling on Saatchi Art is quite easy. All you have to do is create your artwork, take a photo of it, and then upload it to the site. The company handles the shipping and you earn 65% per art sold.
22. Vector Artwork Sites
Another excellent way to make money from drawings is to turn them into vectors. Vectors are graphics that are used in various ways, but most typically for digital marketing purposes. You can easily turn your drawings into vector artwork through Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw and similar programs.
Even better, you will always be making money from vector artwork because customers can purchase them over and over again.
After transforming your creative drawings into vector images, you could sell them on different websites, including:
23. Amazon Merch
Another handy site where you could sell your artwork is Amazon Merch. This is a branch of Amazon wherein artists create artwork that would then be placed on merch products like T-shirts.
All you have to do is create original drawings and then submit them to Amazon for approval. The design is made available and Amazon will print on demand each time a customer places an order. You won’t have to worry about anything else because Amazon handles everything, from printing, and packing to shipping. You need to come up with fresh new drawings to keep this business running.
24. Etsy
When it comes to making money from artwork, Etsy always comes to mind. Etsy is a website where people buy and sell anything customized and handmade. So if you love to draw, you can visit the Etsy website and set up your own shop.
You could run your own art business from home through Etsy. Some artists sell their drawings as physical products, but you could also turn them into digital products and make money from them from each purchase. You also set the price for each drawing, but just make sure to stay competitive by checking out how much other artists are charging.
25. Instagram
Instagram is such a visual website, making it a fantastic place to put up your drawings and make money.
You could use Instagram for your art business in different ways. First, you could use it to primarily build engagement. You showcase your artwork on the site and then direct potential buyers to your shop if they are interested in making a purchase.
Or, you could transact with buyers directly on Instagram.
Either way, Instagram is free to join and use, so it’s always a wise idea to build your presence there as an artist.
26. Fiverr
Fiverr is a good place to offer your drawing services. You can create your profile on the website, and indicate your service. You could say that you can draw, sketch, paint, doodle and more. Just prepare to submit a sample of your work to further convince a potential client.
On sites like Fiverr, you don’t sell the artwork per se, but your ability to create art. You can price your drawing services at $5 and up. It’s a little on the low side, but it helps build your confidence and experience as an artist.
27. Shopify
One of the best ways to sell your products or services is through Shopify. It is a platform designed for an ecommerce business. It offers a suite of services including payments, shipping, marketing and customer engagement tools.
The good thing about having a Shopify shop is you can integrate this shop with your social media channels so your shop shows up on your Facebook, Intagram or Pinterest accounts.
28. Your own website
Finally, you cannot overlook the fact that you are able to make money from your own website. In fact, if you’d like to establish yourself as a professional artist, then you should have your own website to start with.
With your own website, you could integrate a Print-On-Demand feature that connects with sites like Printful. Customers can choose a design they want, and the third-party POD service providers take care of the rest.
You could also display your artwork on your own website and allow others to contact you for commissioned work.
Finally, having your own website gives you additional streams of income. You could make money from ads, affiliate links, and sponsored content. So even if you are talking mostly about drawing in your website, you create these additional income streams as long as you submit content consistently, produce quality and highly-optimized posts, as well as engage with your audience regularly.
Need help with starting a website? Simply follow my tutorial here. Or better yet, learn how to blog by checking out my comprehensive guide on how to start a blog and make money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get paid for drawing?
Yes indeed, and there are many ways to make money from drawing. You could design greeting cards for numerous companies and earn money from each card sold. You could get commissioned to draw artwork for others or you could put up your artwork on buy and sell websites.
Where can I upload my artwork and get paid?
There are several websites where you can submit your artwork and get paid. First, you could put them up on your own website, your Etsy store, Amazon merch, and Instagram. There are also specialty websites for buying and selling artwork, including Saatchi Art, Fine Art America, Art Pal, and Art Plode.
How do I get paid to draw?
There are many ways to get paid to draw. You could become an artist for greeting card companies. All you have to do is draw and design greeting cards. There are sites where you could submit your drawings, and you earn a royalty for each artwork accepted and sold. You could also offer your drawing skills on sites like Fiverr.
Conclusion
If you have a passion for drawing, it’s time to turn this hobby into a money-making activity.
There are several websites where you can get paid to draw, whether by selling your ready-made artwork or getting commissioned to create artwork for others.
Either way, the possibilities for making money from the drawing are quite numerous, and it takes time, patience, and some business and marketing knowledge to monetize this hustle.
Do you also love to draw? If so, how do you plan to make money from drawing? Let’s connect in the comments.
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